COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Lady Broncs' season ends with loss to Purple Eagles

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — On a Friday afternoon in which the shooting for the Rider women matched the weather outside and a 17-point deficit glared at them midway through the second half, it was a feat in and of itself that they were ultimately in a one-possession game with 14 seconds left.

But a jumbled final possession resulted in Sironda Chambers having her 3-point attempt to force overtime blocked and the Broncs were bounced out of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament, 59-54, by Niagara in the quarterfinals here at the MassMutual Center.

“We didn’t put our best foot forward today,” said a disappointed coach Lynn Milligan, whose squad was the fourth seed and in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2004-05.

Following the Purple Eagles’ 20th and final turnover, Rider had the ball with 14.6 seconds left down 57-54, but when it couldn’t get a clean look, Milligan called timeout with 6.4 ticks remaining.

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Chambers received the ball in the right corner and tried to force up a 3 that never had a chance. Niagara grabbed the rebound, got the ball to its best foul shooter, Meghan McGuiness, and she knocked down both free throws.

“(Sironda) thought she had a good look,” said Milligan, who designed the play to have an option for freshman sharpshooter Mikal Johnson coming off a screen. “She tried to draw some contact and it ended up not being a great look for her. She’s a senior and she wanted to take the last shot.”

Fifth-seeded Niagara (15-15) also swept the season series.

It advances to face top-seeded Marist (24-6) in the semifinals Saturday. Those two met in the same round last year and the Red Foxes survived in overtime.

“It’s tournament time,” said Niagara forward Lauren Gatto, who finished with 14 points despite sitting the final 13:20 of the first half with two fouls. “Nothing that happened in the regular season really matters anymore. It’s pretty much the same position we were in last year and I think we know we’re completely capable of beating them.”

Assistant Corrine Jones is serving as acting head coach while Kendra Faustin is on maternity leave.

McGuinness led the Purple Eagles with 15 points, including 6 of 6 from the line in the final three minutes. Niagara finished 17 of 19 on free throws.

Rider, which didn’t record a field goal in the second half until the 12:27 mark, almost erased a 17-point deficit despite shooting a woeful 27.6 percent by turning to its press.

The Broncs used a 12-0 run to slice the Niagara lead to five with 7:44 to play before the Purple Eagles pushed it back to 10 at the final media timeout.

Still, Rider kept coming and McKenzie converted two conventional three-point plays, the last of which using a circus shot that cut the deficit to 57-54.

With 51 seconds remaining, Rider chose not to foul and Kayla Stroman missed a jumper, but after McKenzie grabbed the rebound, Stroman stole the ball. But Stroman in her haste to dribble away from defenders stepped out of bounds, setting the Broncs up for a chance to force overtime.

“We’re always going to fight, we’re always going to battle,” McKenzie said. “We’re never going to lay down and let a team think we have this game won.”

Rider’s 15 wins are its most since joining the MAAC and the highest totals since a 16-12 campaign in 1994-95.

“Obviously, it’s a disappointing end for us,” Milligan said. “But we’re not going to let this game define our season and the steps I think we took as a program.”